Floor-finishing machine



April 1,1930.

A. ROBERTSON FLOOR FINISHING MACHINE Filed June 1928 I 1g ge 15/77,ve7za 7'; ara mfi mfsm J W.

Patented Apr. 1, 1930 T TATES PAT-ENTIOFFICE ALEXANDER ROBERTSON, FATLANTIC, MASSACHUSETTS 7 side elevation withportions broken away,

FLOOR- FINISHING MACHINE Application filed June 7,

This invention relates to a floor finishing machine.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel andimprovedconstruction of floor finishing machine which is particularlyuseful as a floor polishing machine of the general type having a rotaryfloor finishing member adapted to be rotated in contact with the flooras the machine is pushed thereover.

' With this object in view and such others as may hereinafter appear,the invention consists in the floor finishing machine hereinafterdescribed and particularly defined in the claims at the end of thisspecification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention,Figure 1 is a illustrating the improved fioor finishing machine; Fig. 2is a plan of the combined hood and auxiliary suction conduit for thefloor finishing member; andl ig. 3 is a detail in side elevation of thesame.

The present invention aims to provide an improved floor finishingmachine of the type which forms the subject matter of my copendingapplication Serial No. 228,661, in which the floor finishing operationis performed by a rotary abrasive or'polishing member suchas asandpapering roll or a rotary polishing brush. In the use of a inachineof this general character, it has been found that under some conditionsof use the most eflicient operation of the floor finishing member isinterfered with by small pieces.

of paper, dirt and various other obstacles upon the floor to befinished. This is particularly true when the machine is used as apolishing machine, and in accordance with the present invention in orderto overcome this condition in the use of the machine, the present floorfinishing machine is provided with means for automatically removing suchobstacles from a position immediately in front of the floor finishingmember and sufii ciently near the floor to insure the picking up of suchsmall obstacles as paper, dust, dirt, and the like. In the preferredmachine the forward suction nozzle is preferably connected to the mainsuction conduit by a suction conduit formed within a hood extended 1928.Serial No. 283,615.

over the floor finishing member and the hood is preferably removablyconnected to the main suction conduit whose nozzle is arranged toterminate in the rear of the fioor finishing member. 5 1 Referring nowto the dr,awing,in the illustrated machine, 'represents a floorfinishing element which may comprise any usual or preferred form ofsandpapering wheel or a polishing wheel, and which is journaled insuitable bearings 12 in a yoke-13 at the forward end of a metal frame14. The metal frame lel is provided with depending arms 15 in whichcaster-s16 are mounted so that the machine is operatively supported uponthe casters 16 and the floor finishing wheel 10 as illustrated inFig. 1. The metal framel2 is provided with a base portion 18 which formsa support for an electric motor 20, and provision is made foroperatively connecting in any usual or preferred manner the electricmotor 20 with the floor finishing wheel '10 to cause rotation of thesame. The machine is arranged to be pushed over the floor to be finishedby means of an operating handle 22. Provision is made for collecting thedust formed during the finishing ofa floor, and for this "purpose theframe is provided with a mainsuction conduit preferably cast integrallywith and beneath the base plate 18 and having the forward end thereofelongated laterally and terminating in a suction nozzle 32, the latterbeing located immediately behind the finishingwvheel and adjacent thefloor in a position such as to insure thecollection of the dust formedduring the finish-V ing operation.-- The end of the suction conduit isconnected to the suction side of a suction fan 34 and thedischarge sideof the fan is connected to a discharge pipe 36 onto which the mouth of acollection bag 88 is removably clampedin a convenient manner. 7 Thedetails of the machine as'thus far described comprise those illustratedin my copending application Serial No. 228,661 above referred toiand ofthemselves constitute no part of the present invention.

In certaln conditions of use ofthe floor fin- V is preferably formed inthe forward end of a hood 52 and is connected byan auxiliary suctionconduit 54 formed within the hood to the main suction conduit 30. Asherein shown the hood 52 is removably secured to the frame of themachine by screws 56 cooperating with ears .58 formed upon the hood. Thehood is preferably provided with a tapered end portion 60 adapted to fitinto a tapered slot in the base plate of the machine thus connecting theauxiliary and main suction conduits 54, 30 as illustrated in Fig. 1 andproviding suction at both the forward and rear suction nozzles. i l

The provision of the forward and rear suction nozzles assists materiallyin the most efficient operation ofthe machine as a polishing machine inwhich the effect of the rotary brushhas been in the absence of theforward suction nozzle to blow the dirt, paper and other obstaclescontinually in front of the polishing wheel. I v 1 While the preferredembodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it willbe understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms withinthe scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A floorfinishing machine having, in

' combination, a frame, a floor finishing member rotatably mounted uponthe frame, motor driven means for rotating said member about its ownaxis, and a suctlon device mounted upon the frame and provided withsuction nozzles disposed immediately in front and in the rear of saidfloor finishing member and adjacent the floor. i

2. Afloor finishing machine having, in

combination, a frame, a rotary floor finishing element mounted thereon,a suction conduit mounted on the frame and provided with a suctionopening located inthe rear of said floor finishing element, and anauxiliaryconduit reinovably connected with said first suction conduitand havin a suction opening disposed in front ofsai rotary floorfinishing element. a i

'3. A floor finishing machine havin in combination, a frame, a rotaryfloor finis ing element mounted thereon, a suction conduit mounted onthe frame and provided with a suction opening located in the rear ofsaid floor finishing element, and an auxiliary conduit connected withthe aforesaid suction conduit and extended over the floor finishingelement to form a hood therefor and provided with a suction openingdisposed in front of said floor finishing element.

4. A floor finishing machine having a rotary polishing element mountedat the forward end thereof, a suction device provided with a suctionnozzle terminating immediatelyin the rear of said floor finishingelement, a collection receptacle connected with said suction creatingdevice, a hood extended over the upper portion of said floor finishingelement and having the forward end thereof terminating near the lowerpart of and immediately in front of said floor finishing element andprovided with a suction opening, and a suction conduit formed in saidhood and connected with the first mentioned suction conduit.

a In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

' ALEXANDER ROBERTSON.

